Quick Guide to NCAA Basketball: Part 1 of Bethereum’s College Basketball Series
What do you know about college (NCAA) basketball? If your answer is “nothing” or “very little,” then the Bethereum College Basketball Series is for you!
Previously, we’ve covered American football in a six-part series after introducing both NFL and college football to the Bethereum Gaming Platform. Bethereum is proud to announce that NCAA basketball is NOW available on the Bethereum Gaming Platform. To help you start winning fast, we’re launching this short series on college basketball to get you up to speed on the sport, betting considerations, and introduce a few of the top contenders in the sport this year. We’ll also conclude the series with a Q&A, so please submit your questions about college basketball here.
What is NCAA Basketball?
The NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA oversees college sports, meaning universities across the United States have amateur teams their schools manage. NCAA basketball is also referred to as college basketball.
Each college basketball game includes two halves of 20 minutes each. Games in college are lower scoring than in the NBA due to the style played in the game and the fact that college games are shorter (40 instead of 48 minutes).
College basketball players are not paid, although legislation is changing how athletes can earn off of their likeness, and they can play a maximum of four years with a few exceptions. After just one year of playing, college players are eligible to enter the NBA (professional basketball) Draft, which means college teams are constantly recruiting new players to strengthen their teams.
The Basics of College Basketball
There are three divisions in college basketball (I, II, and III). When most people refer to college basketball, they are talking about Division I. In men’s college basketball, there are a staggering 351 teams in Division I basketball.
Teams are broken into conferences (ACC, Big 10, ACC, Big East, MAC, etc.). Each team plays approximately 28–32 games in a season, and their schedule includes both conference and non-conference games. At the conclusion of the regular season, conferences host a postseason tournament where the winner secures an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness)
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is one of, if not the most, exciting events in all of sports, and it decides the champion of college basketball. A total of 68 teams earn spots into the tournament, with 32 of those being automatic bids from winning their conference tournament. The remaining spots in the tournament are decided by a committee, who not only decides who will play in the tournament, but the seeds of each team and who will play each other in the first round.
The tournament is played in a one-loss elimination style and it concludes with The Final Four. The one team that wins both games in The Final Four becomes the champion of college basketball for the year.
I have been fortunate to have attended games in five NCAA Tournaments, including two Final Fours (2008, 2010). See highlights from last year’s NCAA Tournament above. Virginia defeated Texas Tech to win their first ever Men’s Basketball National Championship.
Have questions that haven’t been answered yet in the series? Ask them here.
This series of articles is written by Michael Luchies. Read more of Michael’s articles on his Medium.
